


Keep Her Safe-Part 2

by thegreatficmaster



Series: Keep Her Safe [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Broken Families, Character Death, Family Drama, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Orphans, Reader-Insert, Sad Dean Winchester, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 10:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20329309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegreatficmaster/pseuds/thegreatficmaster
Summary: When everything changes, you’re the one who has to keep it together, no matter how much you want to break down.





	Keep Her Safe-Part 2

You shut the door and leaned against the car for a few seconds, taking a deep breath and trying to take it all in.

“Come on, sweetheart”.

Dean’s voice brought you back, spinning around and watching as he scooped Holly into his arms, careful not to hurt her leg.

“Make sure you don’t slip”, you warned, finding yourself grimacing at how awkward it was just to talk to him.

He turned around, nodding lightly.

“Ok. Thanks”.

You shook your head, locking the car and trudging behind them, before you let them into the house.

“Can I watch tv?”

Dean looked to you for an answer, and you nodded.

“Sure, sweetheart. But only for an hour. It’s late already”.

“Ok”, she answered with a tired voice.

Dean carried her over to the couch and let her get settled, propping her leg up on a cushion while you busied yourself in the kitchen, your stomach rumbling.

Your body moved on autopilot, fifteen minutes passing and the vegetables chopped and chicken somehow cooking in the pan, while you stared out the window, remembering how just a few days ago, you were out in that garden, running around in the snow with your niece, while Sam and Jess watched on.

Now…nothing would ever be the same again.

And she had no idea.

Holly hadn’t fully understood what exactly happened.

You didn’t have the heart to break it to her. She was a four-year-old.

How the hell were you meant to destroy a child’s life?

So, you stayed quiet. She hadn’t asked many questions at this point, and you just prayed she’d focus on recovering, and wouldn’t notice that her parents weren’t there.

You shook the thoughts from your head, needing to be the strong one in the house and quickly stirring the pot, not sensing the pair of eyes that were watching you with worry.

“You doin’ ok?”

Your head whipped around to find Dean’s bloodshot eyes focussed solely on you as he leaned against the doorway.

“Y-yea. I’m fine. She-uh-she still watching TV?”

“Yea-she asked about Sam and Jess…but I had no idea what to say. Just told her she’d be staying here for a while”.

You nodded, grabbing the knife and chopping some herbs, while Dean walked a little closer.

“Good…that’s good. She doesn’t need to know right this second”.

“Y/n-what’re we gonna do?” he whispered, his voice tired and broken.

“I’m gonna cook and feed Holly. After that I’ll put her to bed and you can go home”.

He sighed, watching as you moved around, aimlessly throwing the herbs in and scrubbing at a clearly clean plate, your brain needing to focus on something, just so you wouldn’t have to think about what had happened.

“That’s not what I mean, y/n. She’s lost her parents. We’ve lost our brother. And you lost your best friend. How are we meant to take care of that little girl out there?”

“I don’t know, Dean. I’m hungry, I have a kid in my house with a broken leg, and I’m tryna cook here. I don’t need you adding to all this shit. I’ll figure something out”.

His hand slammed down on the counter without warning, making you jump in shock as you stared at him with wide eyes.

“Figure what out, y/n? He’s dead. Our brother’s dead. Jess is dead. What the hell are you gonna figure out?” he asked, his voice getting louder and louder, the anger building, and for some reason, it seemed like he was aiming it at you.

You took a deep breath, knowing if you started yelling back, Holly would probably hear. And the last thing you needed was your niece crying because the two of you were fighting.

“Like I said-I’ll figure it out. You don’t have to be here. I’ll take care of her myself. If you wanna help, you keep your damn voice down, and grab some plates and bring them over”.

You watched from the corner of your eye as he huffed, pushing himself off the counter and grabbing the plates.

“Sorry…I just-I don’t know what the hell to do. I’m tryna keep strong…but we just lost Sammy, y/n. How the hell am I meant to just keep going like nothing happened?”

“You don’t”, you answered, draining the pasta in the sink and turning the stove off.

“You cry. You yell. You beg to whoever the fuck you want for Sam to be given back to us. You grieve and do whatever it takes to accept it. All I’m asking is you don’t do it around Holly”.

He nodded, swallowing thickly and forcing the tears down as he watched you, your face blank and devoid of any emotion as you plated the food.

Unfortunately for you, Dean knew everything about you.

You might not have spoken in almost a decade, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tell how desperately you were suppressing all your feelings.

He’d seen it all before when your dad died.

John was the one who took you in. Raised you like his own, loving you just as much as he did his sons.

And when he died, you were a mess.

For almost a month, you kept it in. Going to school and focusing on anything but the loss.

But there was only so much you could take before it all snapped and you broke down.

Dean was the one who found you in John’s bed, clinging to his jacket as you sobbed into the pillow. Dean was the one who held you and took care of your for almost a week, before you could even think about speaking.

He was the one who was there to get you through the most difficult time of your life.

And now-here you were, ten years later, practically strangers to each other.

“You gonna eat here?”

“Uh-no. I need to get home”.

You nodded, grabbing the plates and taking them out to Holly, while Dean followed behind, grabbing his coat from the couch and leaning over to give Holly a quick kiss.

“Bye, princess. I need to go now. But I’ll be over first thing tomorrow, if that’s ok?” he asked, looking over at you for approval.

“Uh-that’s fine. I’ll be up around eight, so you come then”.

He nodded, about to leave, when Holly grabbed his arm, clinging to him.

“Please don’t go, uncle Dean. Why can’t you stay here?”

“Princess, I need to go home and get some sleep. I need to have a shower. And then I need to…meet some people and arrange some important things”, he answered, knowing he’d have to go and start sorting out the funerals.

“But-you can stay here? Y/n has some of daddy’s clothes upstairs. Please, uncle Dean? Y/n?”

You sighed, knowing you couldn’t deny her right now. Not after everything that had happened.

“Fine. But I need to speak to uncle Dean first. You get that food finished off, missy”, you warned with a stern voice.

She nodded, a smile on her face as you and Dean walked into the hallway.

“There’s a spare room upstairs. Sheets are in the closet. There’s some of Sam’s clothes there too. I have no idea how long she wants you to stay-but I’m telling you right now-you watch your shit, Dean. I’m not having you pull anything while you’re in my house”, you rambled, not even bothering to look at him as you talked.

“I won’t-”

“I’m not finished”, you interrupted, holding your hand up.

“You eat what I cook without complaining. If you wanna eat out, go ahead. I don’t really give a shit what you do in your own time, but you will not step foot inside this house with one of your sluts. There’s no drinking in my house. If I even smell a whiff of alcohol on you, you’re gone. And you’re not bringing any of your friends over here. I’m risking enough as it is letting you stay in this house. I’m not gonna add to that risk by letting you invite your friends over”.

“Y/n…”

“I’m done. If you wanna eat, you know where the kitchen is”.

You rolled your eyes and walked away from him, leaving Dean stood in the hallway.

He sighed, wishing he could gain your trust back. Show you how much he’d changed. How much he regretted what had happened.

But he knew the chances of that were slim.

You’d hated him since that day. And you’d probably hate him for the rest of your life.

He was just grateful that you were letting him be there for you, and for Holly, at a time like this.

It’d been almost a month since the accident.

The funeral had gone ahead, and you still hadn’t cried.

Holly was too fragile for you to be breaking down at this point.

Once you and Dean had fully explained what had happened, that she wouldn’t see her parents again, she’d reacted exactly how you would’ve expected.

She screamed and yelled, lashing out at you and Dean, before all that could be heard were whimpered prayers asking for her parents.

And for a few days, she did nothing but sit in silence, barely having the energy to do anything.

It was difficult, having to deal with a grieving child, working, and preparing all the funeral processions.

But it all had to be done. And to be honest, you were glad you were so busy.

It gave you something to do. Something to focus on other than the loss.

But then the day of the funeral arrived.

There was barely anyone there.

Sam didn’t have many friends from college. it was mostly just him and Jess.

As far as family went, their mom died when they were kids. And John had died a few years ago.

So that just left you, Holly, Dean and Bobby-one of John’s friends.

It was a quiet service. And once you were done, you went straight home with Holly.

It wasn’t like you had to entertain anyone else.

Bobby knew you. He understood you’d want to be alone, instead of having to chat for hours on end.

So, he let you go on your way, inviting Dean out for a few drinks at the bar, which he happily accepted.

You would’ve loved to have made a snide comment about his love for alcohol, or bars filled with sluts, but you decided against it.

After all, you were trying to keep your interactions with him as limited as possible, even if he had practically moved into the house ever since Holly asked him to stay over.

You avoided each other as much as possible, never being in the same room at once, except for dinner.

After that, you’d go your separate ways and wouldn’t speak a single word to each other.

Dean would try as much as he could to keep a conversation going with you. But you weren’t about to let him think you’d forgiven him for what he did. For what he let happen.

So, you’d simply walk away, or even just tell him you weren’t interested in anything he had to say.

You didn’t care how harsh it was. He deserved it.

You’d just gotten Holly settled in your bed, when the doorbell rang.

You cursed under your breath, running to the door, already prepared to have a go at Dean, when you pulled open the door and were greeted with a face you weren’t expecting.

“Brady? Oh my god! What’re you…what?” you chuckled, glad to see a friendly face.

“I heard about what happened”, he said with a sad voice, stepping into the house and stomping his boots to get rid of the snow.

He turned to you and held his arms out, hugging you tight when you jumped into his arms and took a shuddering breath.

In the entire month that had passed, there hadn’t been anyone worried about how you were doing. Sure, you could tell Dean was worried. But he’d lost the right to comfort you years ago.

And having Brady back here, the man you’d practically fallen in love with when you’d met him all those years ago, felt like a godsend.

“That’s actually why I’m here, y/n. Sam and Jess wrote a will and left it with me. I’ve only just gotten back from out of state for another client, so it took me a while to get everything together. But…I thought I should come down here. Get everything in order”.

You nodded, barely caring about what he was saying, more focused on the feeling of him all around you.

“Is Dean around?”

You shook your head lightly, mumbling into his shirt.

“He’s at the bar. Don’t know how long he’ll take”.

He nodded, his arms running up and down your back as he swayed you both.

“Ok-that’s good, actually. Cos now it gives us time to talk, right?”

You looked up, your eyes already tearing up as you nodded.

“Are you-are you sure?”

He chuckled, never once letting go of you and leading you into the living room and onto the couch, his lips touching the top of your head in a soft kiss.

“Of course, y/n. I’m right here. It’s ok now”.

And with that, all the walls broke down, and the hurt of the past month was released.

Dean stumbled slightly as he trudged up to the door, regretting the few extra beers and whiskey he’d downed with Bobby.

He prayed that you’d be asleep by now, just so he wouldn’t disappoint again.

But of course, when he stepped into the house, the first thing he heard was you.

Except, you weren’t talking. You were sobbing.

He sobered up immediately, rushing to the living room to find you bawling in the arms of a man.

“Y/n-you ok? Who’s this?”

You sniffled as you looked up, glancing between the two and wiping your eyes.

“Oh-this is-uh-Brady. Sam’s buddy from college, remember?”

Dean nodded, not really recognizing the name, but not wanting a lengthy introduction.

“Ok…and what are you doing here?”

“Oh-I’ve got a will left by Sam and Jess here. But that can actually wait for tomorrow. I need to get going now”.

Dean nodded, a frown on his face as he watched Brady hug you, kissing your cheek and smiling at you with a little too much affection, Dean completely uncomfortable with how close you were to this guy.

“I’ll see you out”.

Brady nodded as you walked him to the door, giving him one last hug and thanking him, before he left.

“You ok?”

You nodded softly at Dean, before you walked away, keeping your promise to never let him back into your life fully, even if part of you wanted to be held by him.

“Holly-sweetheart, why don’t you go upstairs for a bit? The grownups need to have a chat”.

She nodded, climbing the stairs and leaving you with Dean and Brady, and the woman from Social Services.

“Sorry. I should’ve mentioned it last night, but they needed to check on her. And they kinda need to be here for this too”.

You nodded, not sure why they’d have any concern. But you wouldn’t say anything, not wanting to make a bad impression from the start.

You led them to the living room and sat on the couch, Dean next to you as Brady and Karen sat opposite you.

“Can we get on with it?”

You shot Dean a glare, smiling apologetically at them.

“Of course”.

Brady opened up his briefcase and pulled out the will, starting to read as you slowly zoned out, not really caring about who got money or the house.

You stared out of the window, watching as the snow fell, when Dean tapped your arm, bringing your focus back into the room.

“And I thought I’d keep this for the end, but Sam and Jess both decided on who’d get guardianship over Holly if anything was to happen to them”.

“Wait…what?”

You looked at Brady, confusion all over your face.

They’d never mentioned any of this.

“Guardianship? What does that even mean?”

“Well, you’d basically be in charge of her care. You’d be the one who’d raise her. The one who gets to legally make the decisions and basically be her parent from now on”.

You nodded, not realizing this was what had to happen.

But then again, you weren’t an expert in law. So why would you have known?

“Ok-well, who is it?”

“Well, of course, when a child goes through what Holly has, it’s always difficult. Being in a car accident, and also losing both her parents on Christmas is something that may have a dramatic effect on her mental health”, Karen interrupted, making you groan, wishing she’d just get to the point.

“So, it’s essential that Holly has a support system in place. And according to the will, in the event of anything occurring to Mr or Mrs Winchester, Holly would be placed in custody of Mr Dean Winchester”.

“What?”

“WHAT?!”

You jumped out of your seat, your mouth hanging open, praying you’d just heard incorrectly.

“I-Sam wanted Holly to go to Dean if anything happened”, Brady explained as gently as he could, already seeing the anger in your expression.

“You have got to be kidding!”

You chuckled bitterly, running your hands through your hair and taking a deep breath.

“When was this will written?”

“Y/n…”

“When was the damn will written?” you snapped, ignoring everything Dean was doing to try and get you to stop.

“Uh-just after Holly was born”.

You nodded, chewing on your lip and pacing.

“Right. So that was almost four years ago? And they never spoke about updating it at all? Never once mentioned anything?”

“Not really”.

“Right. Well…I’m not gonna let this happen”.

“Y/n-what the hell are you doing?” Dean asked, rising from his seat and gripping your arm.

You snatched it away from him, sending him a glare that reminded him exactly how you felt about him.

“I’m looking out for my damn niece. I’m looking out for that girl in there, who’s just been through something no child should have to endure. The girl who’s just lost both her parents. And I’ll be damned if you think I’m just gonna abandon her and let her be raised by you, just because Sam was too stupid to update his will”.

“I’m sorry-are you contesting the will?”

“Damn right I am. I refuse to let this happen. So, bring on all the interviews. The home visits. The background checks and whatever else needs to happen. Because I’m not letting that girl be raised by a deadbeat asshole, who’s more concerned about sleeping with some random woman he’s met in a dingy bar, than taking care of the people who rely on him!”

You didn’t bother to listen to anything else they needed to say, stomping upstairs and slamming the door to your room, forgetting for a second that Holly was in there.

“Y/n? Are you ok?”

You sniffled, taking a deep breath and painting a smile on your face.

“Yea, sweetie. I’m good. Just some grown up things. Nothing for you to worry about. Now…how about you show me what you’re playing with?”

She nodded, dragging you over to her toys and handing them to you, talking about their names and their lives.

You nodded absentmindedly, barely even hearing her, your mind too caught up thinking about what would happen to her if she ended up with Dean.

If she’d even be safe with him.

Or if he’d let her go through what you had all over again.


End file.
